Apex Legends Season 17 Official Patch Notes: Map Updates, Ballistic, Weapon Mastery and More
- Apex Legends Season 17 Arsenal is set to launch on May 9th.
- Includes the 24th Legend, August 'Ballistic' Brinkman.
- This article contains all of the patch notes including: map changes, Weapon Mastery, Firing Range changes, balance changes and more.
Season 17 Arsenal for Apex Legends releases on May 9th. Here are the official patch notes, with tons of major changes coming to all aspects of the game. The updates include the 24th Legend, August ‘Ballistic’ Brinkman, a new and improved firing range, a new progression system called Weapon Mastery, map changes to World’s Edge, ranked updates and more. Here are the details on everything we know so far.
New Legend: Ballistic
The new Legend is August ‘Ballistic’ Brinkman, an older eccentric hermit who once participated in the Thunderdome Games, a precursor to the Apex Games we know and love. After a tragic accident killed his brother-in-law and squad mate, he retired and became a recluse.
Years later, with his son set to join the games he made a deal with Eduardo Silva to re-join if his son never set foot in the Apex Arena himself.
Passive: Sling
Ballistic’s passive ability Sling allows him to carry a third weapon, but this weapon cannot carry any attachments. When he uses his ultimate, Tempest, this weapon becomes a golden gun.
Tactical: Whistler
His tactical ability Whistler is a gun that can lock onto a target and fire a single bullet. If it hits, it will provide a debuff that causes the target's gun to overheat when used and deal damage to them. If it misses, it’ll create a small zone that if a target walks into it will receive the same effect.
Ultimate: Tempest
His ultimate ability Tempest creates a zone around him that provides him and his team with unlimited ammo, faster reloads and faster armed movement speed. This will also upgrade his Sling weapon to gold.
Ranked Changes
The ranked mode in Apex Legends is seeing the biggest update since Ranked Reloaded. Developers have said the changes have two main goals: evolving matchmaking for consistent competitive matches and adjusting scoring to further emphasize playing the game as a team.
Key changes include a new hidden matchmaking system that has skill adjustments based on squad size, a new scoring system with emphasis on winning, a new bonus system that rewards wins and compensates losses, and the removal of the mid-season split.
How all that works in practice can be further read about in the official ranked update. But here is how it breaks down in simple terms.
- Formerly, when you were in a ranked match, your highest ranked player affected the matchmaking in your team. Now the ranks and skills of all players are taken into account.
- Ranked Points (RP) have been replaced with Ladder Points (LP) which operate similarly to one another. But Kill Points (KP) works very differently. In addition to the LP you get for where you placed in ranked, you'll get a bonus based on three factors: eliminations bonus, ratings bonus, and skill bonus.
- Placing 1st through 10th will earn you bonuses, 10th through 20th will earn you loss mitigations. In addition, the entry fee for ranked, which was anywhere from 0 to 175 RP depending on your rank, is now a flat 35 across all ranks.
- Ranks have also undergone a structure change. Each rank consists of 4 divisions as it did before (Gold IV, Gold III, Gold II, Gold I, ect.) and each division is only 1000 LP each.
- Finally, with the removal of the ranked split, each season will reset your rank to Rookie and you'll play 10 provisional matches that will determine, in combination with your MMR, what rank you start at for the reason. Ranked play also now requires a level 50 account instead of level 20 account.
Weapon Mastery System
The Weapon Mastery System is a new type of progression in Apex Legends. Every weapon will have its own track for progression. By using weapons in any game mode (except Firing Range) you can earn experience points towards that weapon.
As you gain experience points, you can rank up these weapons and unlock challenges. Completing these challenges will allow you to progress your rank further.
Rewards for Weapon Mastery will include cosmetics like Banners, Frames, Legendary Weapon Trackers and a Legendary Skin when you finish a weapon mastery completely.
Map Changes: World’s Edge
There are some big changes coming to World’s Edge. The Developers have described these updates as Health Check on the map. The biggest change is that the West and East Fragment POIs are gone. This has always been one of the biggest and hottest drop spots out of every map in Apex Legends.
A new POI called Monument has replaced the Fragments, though some of the buildings still exist, like the Train Station and surrounding buildings. But the Market, collapsed bridge and both buildings it was connected to, as well as construction, are all gone.
Lava City has been updated with a new structure that combines several aspects of the old construction building with some of the design from the construction building in the original Capitol City POI. This new POI has been renamed Stacks.
In addition, more snowfall has fallen on the north side of the map creating new footpaths in and around Skyhook. A new Loot Vault has also been added to Skyhook and Vault Key drop rate has been increased. There are also some minor changes to Trials and Harvester.
Stacks replaces Lava City on World's Edge in Season 17 of Apex Legends, Arsenal.
Apex Legends\Respawn Entertainment
New Survival Item: Evac Tower
Joining the Heat Shields and the Mobile Respawn Beacon is a brand new survival item that will change how people play the game, the Evac Tower.
The Evac Tower is a mobile redeploy balloon just like players are used to seeing in Kings Canyon and World’s Edge. It has a deploy time and HP bar so enemy teams can destroy it. The devs have said it’s not as good as Valkyrie’s ultimate, as she goes higher into the air.
Firing Range: New and Improved
The Firing Range is getting another major overhaul for Season 17 Arsenal.
Several new areas are being added into the Firing Range such as an urban setting with doors and buildings so players can practice combat inside and outside with door mechanics.
There is a new pit with several blocks and cover at varying heights for 1v1s and for players to practice movement techniques. As well as an agility course to help you perfect your high level movement.
The Training Dummies are also receiving an upgrade so they can now fight back without the need for the previous secret Easter egg they needed before.
Players on your friends list can also join you in the training range when it’s in progress with no need to back out and invite them in.
The new and improved firing range in Apex Legends Season 17 Arsenal.
Apex Legends\Respawn Entertainment
Updated Ping System
An update is also coming to the Ping System in Apex Legends Season 17 Arsenal. With updates to the regular ping wheel, the downed ping wheel and the skydiving ping wheel.
New commands across the ping wheels include; Avoid, Enemy Audio and Regroup. New commands for the downed ping wheel include; Help, Enemy Healing, Enemy Revive and Do Not Revive. The new commands while skydiving include; Looting and Avoid.
Balance Updates & Game Changes
Care Package Rotation
The L-Star SMG has entered the care package crate and the RE-45 has returned to the floor. The L-Star has had disruptor rounds added dealing an increased 60% damage against shields. It has also had it's base damage reduced from 17 to 16. L-Star projectiles now have passthrough retaining 60% of their damage. The barrel mod has been removed, projectile growth has been increased and the recoil pattern has been improved.
Weapon Crafting Rotation
The Alternator SMG and Sentinel sniper rifle are both entering the crafting replicator while the EVA-8 shotgun and 30-30 Repeater are returning to floor loot.
Gold Weapon Rotation
The new golden weapon rotation includes the Flatline assault rifle, Triple Take, Spitfire LMG, Mastiff shotgun and Volt SMG.
Loot Spawns
Loot Vaults have had their contents adjusted by increasing the chance to find gold loot. Gold light magazines have also been added to the loot pool. Cargo bots will no longer drop small healing items, mobile respawn beacons or white armor and backpacks.
They'll be more likely to drop large healing items, heatshields and other desirable loot spawns. Golden guns have been removed from purple tier, but had their spawn rate increased for gold tier.
Weapon Changes
30-30 Repeater
- Projectile size increased when fully charged.
Triple Take
- Projectile size increased.
- Improved hipfire spread.
- Tightened bullet pattern when fully choked.
- Ammo per shot reduced to 1 (was 3).
- Magazines sizes adjusted to match the new ammo costs.
- Purple Mag: Increased to 10 shots (was 9).
R-99 SMG
- Removed 1 bullet from base and all magazines.
- No Magazine reduced to 19 (was 20).
- White Magazine reduced to 21 (was 22).
- Blue Magazine reduced to 24 (was 25).
- Purple & Gold magazine reduced to 27 (was 28).
Charge Rifle
- Reduced shots per magazine to 3 (was 4).
- Reduced spawn rate.
Legend Changes
Catalyst
- Dark Veil
- Scan Highlights & Diamonds are no longer visible through the Dark Veil.
Mirage
- Class changed from Skirmisher to Support.
Ash
- Now gets slowed to weapon sprint speed instead of weapon walk speed when targeting with her tactical.
Assault Class
- Smart loot gains have been adjusted to reduce skipping an upgrade tier.
- It will now be less likely to jump from White to Purple or Blue to Gold.
- Optics are now given based on team rather than just Assault Legend who opens them.
- Added special drop rate for Gold Optics.
Skirmisher Class
- Care packages are now automatically pinged for the team on reveal.
- This includes empty Care Packages that have already been looted by another team.
Support Class
- Support Bins will now guarantee at least one Battery in one of the Secret Compartment slots.
- Support Bins will now award MRBs if your ally is dead, even if you don’t have their banner card.
- Legend Banners can now be crafted by ANY player who has a Support Class Legend in their Squad
Mix Tape Changes
In Control the Storm Point: Barometer map has been replaced with Olympus: Hammond Labs. Evo Weapons no longer change automatically, now a player must holster or switch a weapon to upgrade the Evo tier.
In Gun Run the weapon track has been updated to accommodate for the new care package weapons. Players earn additional extra bonus XP for the last weapon knife kill.
In Team Deathmatch Kings Canyon: Skull Town is being removed and replaced with Olympus: Phase Runner.
For more information
For more detail on all the new changes mentioned in the Patch Notes for Apex Legends Season 17 Arsenal, check out a more in-depth coverage with the new Legend Ballistic, the Weapon Mastery System, Updated Firing Range, Map Changes to World's Edge, the Evac Tower survival item and the Updated Ping System.
Apex Legends Season 17 Arsenal launches on May 9th.
